[LINK] the irony is palpable: security vendor hacked

[Jan Whitaker]

"Security vendor's anti-hacking division hacked
March 18, 2011 - 11:57AM

The world's biggest maker of data storage computers said that its 
security division has been hacked, and that the intruders compromised 
a widely used technology for preventing computer break-ins.

The breach is an embarrassment for EMC, also a premier security 
vendor, and potentially threatens highly sensitive computer systems.

The incident is a rare public acknowledgement by a security company 
that its internal anti-hacking technologies have been hacked. It is 
especially troubling because the technology sold by EMC's security 
division, RSA, plays an important role in making sure unauthorised 
people aren't allowed to log into heavily guarded networks.

The scope of the attack wasn't immediately known, but the potential 
fallout could be widespread. RSA's customers include the military, 
governments, various banks and medical facilities and health 
insurance outfits. EMC, which is based Hopkinton, Massachusetts, 
itself is an RSA customer.

EMC said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that 
RSA was the victim of what is known as an "advanced persistent 
threat", industry jargon for a sophisticated computer attack. The 
term is often associated with corporate espionage, nation-state 
attacks, or high-level cybercriminal gangs.
"

http://www.theage.com.au/technology/security/security-vendors-antihacking-division-hacked-20110318-1bzul.html




Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
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